Mortal Kombat + Disturbed = A New Trailer...

Well a new Mortal Kombat trailer showed up on the interwebs which features a new Disturbed song (why not considering their new album just came out today). This is a pretty much a new teaser, so we have to wait for more new stuff soon.

Music Video of the Day for 8/30/10

Nipsey Hu$$le - "Feelin' Myself" feat. Lloyd

Power 106 has been blasting this song now as it is starting to grow on me, but then again Nipsey is on the come up with hard joints. This is just one of those chill driving jams you would blast on a sunny day.

Music Video of the Day for 8/26/10

So this video leaked out two days ago, but looked like Vevo got the proper premiere for it...

Usher - "DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love" (feat. Pitbull)

In the meantime, I'm going to dance dance like its the last last night of my life life.

More MvC3 Footage feat. Dormammu & Viewitiful Joe

Well, here's actual match footage of Dormammu and Viewitiful Joe in action in Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds. Also featured in these clips of Level 3 Supers for Amaterasu and Super Skrull. (Oh yeah, Dante/Amaterasu/Viewitiful Joe = definitely the new school Capcom team)

A Short But Sweet Interactive Cartoon... The Shank (PSN) Review

There are games that are all style with no substance, but there are some that are both and Shank fits that description. When you first see Shank in action, you feel like you're playing a cartoon straight up from Cartoon Network's glory days. The obvious comparison Shank draws from is Samurai Jack, but with knives and guns which is not that bad considering both Shank and Samurai Jack are badass warriors in their craft. This indie darling that got positive buzz from past gaming conventions is finally out and it does indeed live up those expectations despite some setbacks. Considering the price tag and the amount of content this game offers, Shank is still worth your time if you love short and sweet beat-em-ups.

Shank's storyline is your simple revenge tale as he has to avenge his significant other by killing those that took her away. In other words, its like the male version of Kill Bill as you slaughter one boss after another until you reach the one that is behind it all. Other than his shanks, dual pistols, and chainsaw, Shank gets more weapons the further you go along to complete your quest from machetes, a shotgun, grenades, and more. The controls are what you expect out of a modern brawler even though this game plays like a 2D side scroller. It is pretty simple stuff on paper, but there is some depth out of the combat to come up with stylish combos like Devil May Cry. If you're not into trying to use the combat system to its full potential, then the core combat is mashy, but you have to play with some urgency especially in the second half of the game where enemies will defend and attack at will. Other than cutting dudes up, there is some platforming Shank has to deal with, but it holds your hand for the most part meaning its easy to perform a sequence such as climbing a pole to wall running a billboard and then grabbing to a skull. Even with such simple platforming elements, the trickier sequences do get frustrating which can result in pointless deaths, but good thing there is a checkpoint system to try things again. Speaking of checkpoints, there are none on hard difficulty, which does make those segments more frustrating if a simple misjump can result in starting over a level again.

The main campaign in Shank can be completed in four hours, which is really short, but if it was longer, the repetition would of kicked in as the game is paced well in those four hours going from setting to setting taking out the opposition. The boss battles are well thought out as well as nearly all of them require different tactics to kill them, but sometimes you don't expect to exploit their weakness in the first try as if it is some trial and error approach because the hint system does tell you what to do to kill a boss quicker after you die. Despite the short campaign, there is some replay value into the game with a harder difficulty, unlockable outfits by killing a certain number of enemies with certain weapons, and concept art. There is also a cooperative campaign, which is more of the same, but a slightly different take on the storyline since there are two characters. Other than that, Shank is pretty light with content considering the fifteen dollar price tag, so the purchase may feel questionable if you don't feel like you got enough longevity out of the game.

The most striking feature in Shank other than the brutal combat is the cartoony visual style. Remember what I said comparing Shank to Samurai Jack? The visual style is what makes them familiar from the awesome cutscenes with little to no dialogue even though it still sets up what's next, how they handle blood and gore, and so on. Also pretty impressive with Shank's graphics are the animations specifically with Shank himself. He moves like a true cartoon character with slicing and shooting enemies at will with no remorse. His facial expressions when in action are outstanding as well even though the combat may not feel as fluid people hoped. Sound-wise, Shank's soundtrack fits the theme, but you're probably busy tearing people apart. As mentioned earlier, there is little to no dialogue between Shank and the main bosses as his actions would rather do the talking.

All in all, Shank feels like a short and sweet interactive cartoon with style. The visual style makes you wish it is an actual cartoon on television, but it is probably best it stays as a game. The combat is simple yet deep like some of the more known modern brawlers like Devil May Cry and God of War. It does take your imagination though to exploit the game's combo system to come up with stylish combos as mashing away does not guarantee you success. The lack of content along with it being a four hour game hurts the overall package considering its fifteen dollars on Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network. Despite that issue, I still had a fun time with Shank as it is a good four hours that is worth your time if you love stylish beat-em-ups.

Score = 8/10

Pros:

• Amazing visual style from the overall graphics to the animations that reminds you of Samurai Jack
• Core combat is simple yet has some depth if you want to mess around coming up with stylish combos
• Short and sweet campaign
• Cutscenes that also go along with the visual style keeps the game moving

Cons:

• The main campaign is four hours long, perhaps too short to satisfy the $15 dollar price
• Combat may not feel as fluid as some hoped
• Other than a hard difficulty and a co-op campaign, the game is light on content
• Platforming elements can be frustrating at times especially later on in the game.

Hands-On with MotorStorm 3D Rift (Well on 2D...)

MotorStorm 3D Rift is a surprise package that showed up on the Playstation Store this week for ten dollars and I happened to buy it because its been a while since I owned a racing game even though this one sort of does not count, but I have been needing a racing fix lately as this fills the void for now. Yes, the title does say 3D Rift and yet I don't have a 3DTV, so there goes half of the game pretty much as this game can be also played normally in 2D. This ten dollar package is basically MotorStorm: Pacific Rift Lite with ten tracks and ten events. There is no multiplayer options as it is just you against the computer AI as this is another showcase Sony wants to use for their push towards 3D gaming. The ten race events are normal races with the vehicles they give you at the offset meaning there is a lack of choice, but then again that is what you get as a paid warmup for the full game or the upcoming MotorStorm: Apocalypse. I never owned a MotorStorm game yet, but this is indeed a better taste than the demos because the opposing AI will race dirty and aggressive to the point they will take you out. I tend to like racers with this approach because it makes victory much more sweeter even though it takes numerous attempts because the AI will screw things up with you any way possible along with the terrain of the courses if you're not careful. The first half of 3D Rift is not that bad difficulty wise, but the opponents will step up their game in the second half as the perfect run is pretty much required to win first place. Graphically, MotorStorm 3D Rift in 2D looks like Pacific Rift for the most part and since I don't have a 3DTV, I can't say what the 3D is like. I still do love the crashing animations especially on the bike where the human just ragdolls like crazy making you laugh. As for the sound in which you can't change the settings, the cars are more loud than the music which is okay, but it depends if you feel like hearing the soundtrack the game has. If you don't have Pacific Rift, then MotorStorm 3D Rift is worth it if you're also interested in the upcoming Apocalypse. Of course, it is better to have this around if you have a 3D television as a showcase to those who are curious about 3D. After playing this for a bit, it makes me respect this franchise more for what it offers compared to the rest of the arcade racers out there with its dirty and aggressive style.

Music Video of the Day for 8/25/10

Linkin Park - New Music - More Music Videos

Linkin Park - "The Catalyst"

I'm curious how much of a departure their new album will be since it is supposed to be way different from their past albums. Early word is that the new direction they're taking on is a love/hate ordeal as some will appreciate it and some won't wishing they go back to their roots of Hybrid Theory, which is still one of the most successful albums in the last decade. I'm just hoping A Thousand Suns will be better than the disappointment that is Minutes to Midnight. Honestly, I don't expect them to go back to what made them successful in the first place when Chester is in angry mode most of the time to the point he's losing his voice. We'll see when Linkin Park's new album is out next month.

Retro Review - Super Metroid (Wii VC)

In honor of Metroid: Other M's release next week on Wii, I decided to bring back an old GameSpot user review to get the G Unit Ver1's World treatment, which is Super Metroid for the Wii Virtual Console.

It was 1994 when the first console Metroid since the original on the NES came out. Fans of the series have waited patiently for Super Metroid's release on the Super Nintendo and it eventually became one of the greatest games of all-time. It was an evolution of the Metroid formula that started on the NES and turned out to be the perfect Metroid game for its time. Since Super Metroid's release, Nintendo has not re-released the game in any form other than illegally downloading it on an emulator. Now it is available on the Wii Virtual Console for 800 Wii Points and arguably the best game on that service since most of the other Nintendo games have been released before in other forms.

Super Metroid begins after Metroid II: The Return of Samus when a baby Metroid found bounty hunter Samus Aran as her mother at SR-388. All of a sudden at a space station, the baby Metroid gets captured by one of Samus's infamous enemies, Ridley, as Samus rushes to Zebes, where the whole franchise started to rescue the baby Metroid and eliminate the legion of Space Pirates once for all. Once Samus lands on Zebes via her spaceship, it is basically Metroid again, but bigger and better.

Samus starts out only with her Power Beam, but as like Metroid, you progress through the game by collecting new weapons and upgrades. The staples from Metroid return such as the Morph Ball, Missiles, Ice Beam, and the Varia Suit. The new additions in Super Metroid are the Grapple Beam, Gravity Suit, Plasma Beam, Space Jump, Super Missiles, and Power Bombs. These new additions are one of the major reasons Super Metroid is a way better sequel. Other noticeable additions that made the game easier than the original Metroid are save stations throughout areas of Zebes, energy and ammo recharge stations, and the helpful map. Those additions made Super Metroid less frustrating than the original Metroid in a big way, which is why it is a more polished game.

Other than Samus's new abilities, the planet Zebes is not the same as seen in the original. It is definitely better in terms of variety and scope as Samus wanders around Brinstar, the lava-filled Norfair, the Wrecked Ship, and the water-filled Maridia. The Metroid formula was at its best in Super Metroid with progression limited by a certain item, collecting missile expansions, and facing big bosses. Speaking of bosses, the boss count in Super Metroid was increased to four major bosses, numerous mini-bosses, and the finale with Mother Brain. Samus had her limits in the original Metroid firing only in three directions and in Super Metroid, she can fire in eight directions, which subtracts more frustration that players had in previous Metroid games before it.

There are two controller choices to play the Virtual Console version of Super Metroid, which are the Classic and Gamecube controllers. The Classic Controller is the one to go with because of its SNES familiarity. The controls can also be changed before starting a game, which is also a great addition. The emulation feels perfect on the Wii as it is the Super Nintendo version we all know and love. Even on a widescreen HDTV, Super Metroid is a great 2D game to look at even with today's 2D standards. The sound is also untouched and accurately emulated in this version as level themes go along with where you at in the game. The soundtrack is still one of the best soundtracks during the 16-bit era and remains that way today.

Super Metroid on the Wii's Virtual Console is highly recommended for Metroid fans and those playing it for the first time. Those who missed it back in the Super Nintendo days can finally play a legal version on the Wii. For those who played it to death, this is still a must buy considering it is like the second official release of the game ever. Super Metroid is still considered one of the greatest games of all-time and it is definitely the best game to buy on the Wii's Virtual Console right now.

Music Roundup Pick of the Week for 8/22/10

Usher's Versus EP is out on Tuesday and its my pick of the week for something to blast to. It features Usher's new hit song, "DJ Got Us Fallin in Love" featuring Pitbull (video out this week and will be a MVftD post on that), "Hot Toddy" featuring Jay-Z, which you probably heard on the radio lately too, and more. The album is not that long since it is an EP, but if you want to hear more Usher songs beyond Raymond v. Raymond, then this new EP is worth it. After all, it also has Justin Bieber's "Somebody to Love (Remix)" too and this is probably my first time mentioning that young kid at all in this blog after all the attempts trying to avoid him, but Bieber Fever has somehow reached its way to G Unit Ver1's World.

Next Games on the Review Pipeline...

So the next game I'm going to review comes out on Tuesday on Playstation Network and Wednesday on Xbox Live Arcade which is Shank, another downloadable game with a lot of hype. I might get Mafia II this week as well, but don't bank on that. I did though reserved Metroid: Other M the other day, so expect something about that soon. If you have been paying attention to Nintendo's next big game with Team Ninja developing it, Other M has been getting a lot of mixed reactions among the gaming crowd as some do appreciate the change Samus will face, but some do think this change is too much and takes away from what the franchise truly is. Well, we will see when Metroid: Other M comes out on August 31 only on the Wii (the cool live action commercial is below).

Harmonix Does Care About Setlist Leaks...

Or they don't??

The video above is Harmonix responding to the Rock Band 3 setlist leak to the internets by well confirming the leaks showing off the list from Gamescom. Funny stuff by the guys...

Still Don't Know Why GoldenEye Wii Exists...

GoldenEye 007 for the Wii is still coming out this fall and hoping to recapture of the magic of late 90s console FPSs, but seriously I hope this game flops and flops hard. I still don't know why this game even exists at all being a James Bond game, a first-person shooter only on the Wii, and a desperate attempt to bring back the classic because fans have been demanding it for years. Some classics are meant to be remade for the new generation while some should be left in the dust and nothing but memory, which is the case with this new GoldenEye game. A Wii-only shooter is asking itself to be sent to die especially compared to better and more modern shooters that are coming out at the same time like Halo: Reach and Call of Duty: Black Ops. The thing is that people have moved on to those games and I feel Activision is making it just on name alone to sell to desperate fans that have begging for a remake of sorts because they were playing endless multiplayer sessions back in the Nintendo 64 days. Who knows, I could eat crow if this game actually succeeds on the Wii just on the namesake alone along with a golden Classic Controller Pro bundled with the game. Then again, if I want to see one game fail and fail miserably, it is definitely GoldenEye 007 for the Wii.

New MvC3 Footage feat. Dormammu & Viewitiful Joe

New footage for Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds rolled out this morning featuring the two new characters announced at Gamescom this week, which is not surprisingly Dormammu and Viewitiful Joe. I'm not sure which Marvel comic Dormammu came from since my knowledge of some of the Marvel villains is bare bones, but its always nice to see someone new in the versus game owning the opposition. Viewitiful Joe makes his return to the fighting genre retaining his playstyle from Tatsunoko vs. Capcom as I didn't see any drastic changes to him in his trailer. Looks like the next character reveal for the game will be at the Tokyo Game Show next month, so we'll see what Capcom has in store for that since they have the roster pretty much nailed down now.

Music Video of the Day for 8/19/10

Drake - "Miss Me" feat. Lil' Wayne

Still waiting for that "Fancy" video Drizzy...

Will Halo: Reach be the Swan Song Bungie Deserves?

It is kind of crazy that Halo: Reach is out in about a month only on the Xbox 360 and even though I haven't really been paying attention to what is new with this new game, I still have my high hopes about being Bungie's swan song to the franchise that made them famous. I do know that they are going all out with a bang with Reach being stacked full of features with the campaign that is solo and cooperative, all the new multiplayer shenanigans that the beta had along with additions, Firefight making a return from ODST, Forge being bigger than ever, and more. Who knows if Reach will be the shooter of the year in terms of how long the multiplayer will last especially with stiff competition by the Call of Duty franchise these days with Modern Warfare 2 and the upcoming Black Ops, but I'm pretty sure the shooter crowds will still play all those games as each game does have its own tempo of craziness. I was a little excited about Bungie bringing back some Halo 2 Maps like Ivory Tower and Midship into Reach, but my excitement overall for the game has been on the down low since I don't have a 360 now and having shooter fatigue during my times with that console. We'll see how Halo: Reach does when it comes out next month and I don't mind making a return to the franchise by buying the Reach Slim bundle too.

UPDATE - So the game has been leaked a month early, which is crazy stuff. Good luck avoiding spoilers if you are eagerly awaiting this game to come out.

Why Child of Eden Will Be The Greatest Experience Ever...

EGMi recently had a cover story featuring the game I'm most excited for, which is Child of Eden as they interviewed Testuya Mizuguchi about the game's origins and what the game is really intended to do. As you know, Rez is still one of my favorite games of all-time as a life-changing experience seeing games in a totally different way, so the giddiness had reached its peak with the announcement of Child of Eden at E3 back in June. Just hearing Miz talk about the game above makes me believe in him in delivering the goods as he knows what he is doing to make something truly special. Games these days will still be games, but Child of Eden is not just your ordinary game like how Rez was as it is shaping up to another memorable experience when it comes out next year for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.

Dance Central is Still My Only Reason to Kinect...

New previews for Harmonix's Dance Central showed up earlier this week on the big game sites and still living up to be the killer app for the Xbox 360's Kinect. It is indeed still my only reason I would buy the thing because it looks like a blast to play with multiple people. Let's just hope I have a decent Kinect setup for a game like this with enough room for people to go crazy. New modes and new songs were announced for the game as it is expected to come out around Kinect's launch on November 4. In the meantime, there's a new trailer above and the Giant Bomb interview for more as well as other shenanigans the guys did.

Clips from Gamescom...

Gamescom, aka Europe's E3, has been going on this week at Germany as more of the same stuff is being shown this time for the European press, but at least new clips and announcements do indeed pop out from the show.



New gameplay footage for Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, by Criterion games aka the Burnout people, looks pretty good at 60 frames per second. You can tell that that developers had to input what was amazing in Burnout into Need for Speed from the takedowns (a clip of a car taking out a cop car Burnout style) and the breakneck speed. It does seem like they got the franchise back on track as if Shift was the start of something different yet still good. The instant breaks of seeing what's ahead such as incoming spike strips and helicopters the game tells you can be somewhat of a distraction for people, but it is not for me. Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit is out in November and shaping up to be one of the racers to get this holiday season.

Another LittleBigPlanet 2 trailer also showed up at Gamescom and even though its more of the same of various things blowing your mind, its once again Passion Pit's "Sleepyhead" making us smile as the song for the trailer. The customization elements have been turned up to 11 as the Media Molecule guys do want players to make full games by not just the levels themselves, but adding in voices and even music. All of this is getting crazy as I hope LBP2 delivers once again because I didn't get into the first game that much like not finishing the story mode, creating levels, and so on even though I love what they are doing as a product of creativity. This is also coming out in November only for PS3.

Now, you must be wandering, why Mass Effect 2 again? I played that on the 360 way back in January. Well, EA and BioWare decided to announce this game after all on the PS3 for release next year. Funny thing is that he think everyone that wanted to play ME2 already played it on 360 and who knows how much of the PS3 audience that skipped out earlier this year to wait for this one. Also, there is also no announcement of the first game coming out to PS3 either for the whole story continuation business the 360 version had. EA did claim though that PS3 owners would have a seamless transition to Mass Effect 2 without playing the entire first game. This will be interesting how they would pull this off. Despite the glowing reviews, the game did lose some points to the RPG crowd by being less of a RPG and more of a cover-based shooter. I don't think Mass Effect 2 can replicate the same success on PS3 than on 360 in terms of sales, but we'll see how Sony fans welcome this franchise as hopefully DLC the 360 version had can just be already in the PS3 version when it comes out.

Oh hey, another Ratchet and Clank game is being made by Insomniac only for the PS3. All for One is the series' co-op debut at this game is heavily focused on that with four characters around at all times. This is certainly a departure from what we are used to seeing with the franchise, but hopefully this new shakeup can still make Ratchet relevant in the gaming world as this is the third main game for the Playstation 3. Speaking of Insomniac, they also had another game announced at the show which was only a matter of time anyway as we all expected it, which is Resistance 3. No game footage was being shown in the teaser below as it is a real-time clip with real people just in the Resistance world. Can the third time be the charm for this franchise? It could possibly be as the first two were great games, but never the AAA game Sony wanted it to be. Resistance 3 should be out next fall.

That's it for now, expect another Gamescom post tomorrow.

Music Video of the Day for 8/17/10

Trey Songz - "Bottoms Up" feat. Nicki Minaj

Hey Girl, Hey Girl... Yuuuuupppp!!!

Gaming Video of the Day for 8/16/10

The Intro to "Epic Mickey"

Hopefully this will be one of the critical darlings of the upcoming holiday season.

Music Video of the Day for 8/15/10

Lloyd Banks - "Any Girl" feat. Lloyd

Some Thoughts about Scott Pilgrim vs. The World...

So I just got back from watching Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and it definitely lived up to the source material from the graphical novels as being totally crazy. For those that are not familiar with the movie, the game that just came out last week on the Playstation Network, or novels, it is simply Scott Pilgrim, played by Michael Cera, which decides to date Ramona even though he has to fight his way against her seven exes. It is a simple concept on paper and yet with the references to video game culture, the movie definitely uses those to its advantage and it hits them hard. I can see why the movie is truly dedicated to a specific targeted audience that knows the culture inside and out as they would have a blast watching it from beginning to the end, but the normal moviegoer may be just wandering what in the world is going on with the crazy game-like effects. My first exposure to the franchise was the game and my knowledge coming from the game as I could tell what is going on right out of the gate. They nailed the setting and effects right with the coin drops, Zelda and Sonic sounds, etc. The actors definitely lived up to the characters seen in the comics. It also feels crazy seeing Chris Evans and Brandon Routh as two of Ramona's evil exes as they were awesome as them. Sure, some of the side plots can be somewhat of an annoyance especially with Scott's gay roommate, but it is a change of pace from the main plot. It is unfortunate that the film won't do gangbusters at the box office with stiff competition by Eat, Pray, Love and The Expendables, but at least it is one of the craziest movies I seen this year. It is definitely catered to an audience that lives and breathes video game culture, so it is not really for everyone. I still had a good time watching Scott Pilgrim vs. The World today. As a movie, it could of been better pacing-wise, but I do believe the targeted audience will love and embrace it as one of their favorite movies of the year.

A Beat-Em-Up Filled With References Everywhere... The Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game Review (PSN)

Note - Videos are from the XBLA version, but the PSN version looks identical if you wanna compare.

When you have a movie coming out that is filled with video game references or reminds yourself of your gaming past time, it sounds pretty cool in concept. That is the case with Scott Pilgrim vs. The World starring Michael Cera as he dates Ramona, but he has to deal with her seven exes. All of this seems like a cool video game as well as Ubisoft Montreal decided make an old-school beat-em-up revolving this franchise. Being a beat-em-up of the glory days of the genre really fits the description well with Scott Pilgrim reminding you of those games when they were cool from River City Ransom, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Double Dragon. Like the comic book and movie, this game is filled with video game references everywhere with the games you love in the old days as even some of the levels themselves remind you of those beat-em-ups as well. Despite all that fanservice to games in general, does the Scott Pilgrim game live up to those games' legacy? The answer to that yes even though there are still flaws that prevent it from becoming something special.

There are four characters to choose from with Scott, Stills, Kim, and Ramona as the select screen is straight up Super Mario Bros. 2 on the NES with the curtains and more. There is an overworld screen after that refers to the Mario games with pipes and multiple paths. Since there are seven exes to beat up, there are well, seven levels to traverse through, but it is no easy task especially alone. As an old-school beat-em-up, this game is clearly designed for up to four players at once to beat up the opposition and it can be done locally, but not online unfortunately, which is the game's biggest setback. I am not sure what the thought process was behind the developers deciding to not have online co-op, but you do have to consider trying to release the game in time for the movie's release and you also risk the potential of lag issues too especially with a game like this where chaos can be everywhere. However, if you do have three more friends locally to join along, then the game is a total blast.

River City Ransom was pretty much the big template behind the Scott Pilgrim game from the enemy design, shops to buy supplies and upgraded stats since there is a level up system for the characters gaining new moves as they gain more XP by beating up more enemies along with increasing your strength, defense, speed, etc. The controls are pretty simple as expected with light and heavy attacks, special moves like the Streets of Rage games, picking up various weapons, and so on. While not as fluid as the old-school beat-em-ups, Scott Pilgrim's gameplay is still solid. If playing solo, expect yourself to grind at previous stages if you're stuck at a certain point because you're not strong enough to go till to the end of the level where a boss fight awaits because this game is indeed tough alone even on the easiest difficulty. There are no checkpoints in the stages, so a game over after losing all your lives will result in restarting a stage from the beginning, but at least your stats will be saved which makes this game somewhat of a grind and the repetition does kick in. If playing with multiple people, you can revive fallen teammates if they lose health and you better so quickly before they lose a life. Also sticking to the beat-em-up tradition, the game is not that long to beat which is several hours solo, but obviously less than that with more players around.

Other than being an old-school beat-em-up, what truly stands out with Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game is the graphics and sound. Graphically, the game looks very stylish as if you are playing a modernized 16-bit game in the current generation of consoles. The art on the characters, backgrounds, look pretty neat fitting to the retro look as well as setup scenes to the levels and boss fights. However, there are some little bugs where the game can hitch up for a bit as it takes a little longer to load up your status and move list when the overworld screen or the music doesn't kick in at the right time. Even the little things can disrupt a special experience from truly shinning as you just wish the execution was perfect on the developers' end. The soundtrack though is amazing blending in modern and 8-bit sounds together into one cohesive piece and another reason why you feel like you're in the 90s playing this game at some arcade. There are no voice overs, which is a good thing even though it is still a licensed game, as the game does do a good job of telling the straightforward story throughout.

For ten dollars, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game is a worthy pick up if you love old-school gaming especially beat-em-ups like River City Ransom and Double Dragon. The gameplay is solid even though it might be slow at times, but that's probably the case when you're starting to level up a character as stats will increase by gaining levels and buying CDs, books, and other goodies. The shining point of the game is living up the franchise's source material and references to video games in general from Mario, Mega Man, and more as the fanservice is everywhere even to the hidden material such as similar codes to those games unlocking something similar to when you input them back in the day. It also looks great as a stylish beat-em-up that looks like you were playing a game in the 90s and the soundtrack fits along that description as well. The lack of online co-op and little bugs prevent this game from perfection, but if you have local friends along for the ride, then you would enjoy more out of the game than playing it alone grinding it out with certain characters to make them become stronger. All in all, you feel like you're playing a love letter to gaming culture as a whole with Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game.

Score = 8/10

Pros:

• Solid beat-em-up gameplay
• Lives to the franchise's source material from the story to the presentation
• Amazing soundtrack mixing in modern and 8-bit sounds
• More fun with three more players into the mix

Cons:

• No online co-op
• Little bugs disrupt the experience
• Can be difficult alone, which makes the game a grind to level up characters
• Since the game can be a grind at tough moments, repetition does kick in

BioShock goes Infinite...

Irrational Games returns to the BioShock franchise announcing BioShock Infinite today in an anticipated reveal for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and PC. Even though they still got X-COM coming out this fall (I think they're developing X-COM), this looks like their next game and its somewhat surprising they are coming back to a franchise they started yet others are wandering why BioShock again by these guys? Leave it to Ken Levine and his crew to take things to the next level in the franchise ditching away Rapture and coming up with a completely new setting, which is in case for this game, the skies with a floating city. The reveal trailer is pretty crazy stuff showing off what can we possibly expect with this next entry in the successful franchise even though BioShock 2 by 2K Marin didn't really do that well (I didn't play it). I do expect Irrational to go crazy again with an epic story filled with lore and secrets just like the first game and hopefully take moral choices to another level if they are leaning towards that position again. BioShock Infinite is still a long ways off coming out in 2012, but I'm already excited for it.

Here's a Shacknews preview for more stuff...

PSN Demo Showcase for 8/11/10 (The Mafia II Edition)

This time on the PSN Demo Showcase features a long-awaited sequel to one of the best open-ended action games ever... (The Mafia II video is NSFW for language and violence)

Mafia II will finally be out at the end of the month and so far its living up to be a satisfying sequel to the critically acclaimed original. Even though I didn't play the first Mafia, playing this demo does get a little taste of what the mafia is really like and it won't have any Grand Theft Auto-like shenanigans. The demo is pretty much one simple mission of driving and then a shootout sequence in a distillery. The driving is what you expect out of a game like this with vehicles handling like the good old mafia days. The shooting controls may take a little time to get used to if you have been playing first person shooters on the PS3 as aim and fire are on the L2 and R2 triggers instead of L1 and R1, but they are changed according to your preference. The cover-based shooting does work for the most part, but going guns-blazing without a plan of sorts will get you killed even though there is a health regeneration system. Vito can die in a snap if caught in a difficult situation especially in a mission like the demo above. Graphically, Mafia II looks pretty good as I didn't notice any glaring issues as some people would compared to other versions of the demo. I enjoyed my time with Mafia II as it will be worth a purchase if you love open-ended action games with a deep story.

Been in a La Roux mood lately...

For the past day, I have been in a La Roux mood because its finally time their songs reach on to other outlets like Rock Band with "Bulletproof" now out for download. This is another song I would download in a heartbeat if I still had the game and rock it like no other. There's also an appearance of "In For the Kill" (Skream Let's Get Ravey Remix) during the closing credits of last night's episode of Entourage and it was a fitting song to end on if you seen it.

My Brief Hands-On Experience with King of Fighters XIII...

King of Fighters XIII has been out at Arcade Infinity for about a month already and I was only able to play it three times, but spent more time watching better players than me do work. Once you see the game in action at first glance, it is a beautiful looking 2D fighting game with great backgrounds and sprites for the characters. KOF XII was a start of a new beginning for the franchise and established some foundations like the graphics style seen above while retaining that KOF flavor we have seen over the years with the gameplay. The basics were there for the fighting, but it just needed a bit more to be a deeper fighting game again, which KOF XIII improved on significantly. In addition, the roster got better adding in franchise favorites that were missing in XII ranging from Yuri, Mai, K', Kula, and more. In a nutshell, King of Fighters XIII is what XII could of been, but it looks like SNK Playmore needed a game to reboot things over before going crazy again, which is the case here.

In my playtime with KOF XIII, I haven't grasped some of the newer gameplay additions yet to the game since XII as I relied on tactics I knew from that game rocking my team of Ash, Kim, and Andy. Speaking of Ash, there is actually a story this time around with XIII revolving around her as some evil version of her is the last boss of the game and in typical KOF/SNK fashion, she is tough to defeat being cheap like no other. Along with everything from KOF XII other than the removal of the gimmicky critical counter system, KOF XIII's core fighting remains the same adding in EX special moves a la Street Fighter IV where you both press both punches and kicks along with the direction to execute. Super specials remain the same, but the dream-like supers from XI make a return that sort of remind you of the ultras seen in SF4 even though not as climatic. There is also a drive cancel-like maneuver when you cancel a special move into another special move such as Ash's Flash Kick-like special to her charging hand as an example. The guard gauge is pretty self-explanatory, but also characters enable a white glow to continue combos almost like custom combos seen in Street Fighter, but for a short time. These combos are basically the big damage ones similar to critical counter combos in XII. In traditional KOF fashion, execution is still key especially there are motions for certain moves that are fairly uncommon for the casual fighting game player, but if you know SNK fighting games, you should be used to this by now.

So far, I have been enjoying King of Fighters XIII despite my limited time with it at the arcade. Hopefully, I can come by that place and play around with it more learning the new stuff other than getting owned by players that are already good at the game as seen in the videos. If so, maybe a more detailed hands-on blog will come soon if I spend more time with the game even though I'm still at Arcade Infinity playing Super Street Fighter IV mostly when I'm there. I think XIII is a worthy addition to the franchise and way better than XII easily, so I hope more people get into the game more by the time it comes out on consoles soon as the fighting is more deeper now that SNK Playmore is able to get the ball rolling after how bare-bones XII was. In the meantime, enjoy the videos of high-level gameplay demonstrating the new additions.

Oh Hey... COD Black Ops MP Footage!

So you might be wandering why I would still post Call of Duty stuff on this blog considering I don't really play shooters that much anymore, but here is the new footage of Black Ops multiplayer with a full reveal on September 1. Honestly, I still don't own a copy of Modern Warfare 2 to this day and its arguably one of my biggest gaming regrets of the past year, but I don't mind that moving on to the whole Street Fighter thing. I still played the demo that finally came out on the Playstation Store last week and enjoyed it, but it didn't really make me wanna go back to the shooting business that bad. Despite my current feelings about the FPS genre, Black Ops still looks pretty good retaining that Call of Duty flavor gamers love now and looks like Treyarch is adding some replay system as well. I also recently watched GameTrailers' latest Bonus Round talking about the big fall shooters and it seems like they are still praising Black Ops despite possibilities of franchise fatigue by serious shooter fans. Especially on the 360, it might be hard for those guys of whether to stick with Black Ops or Halo: Reach this fall as the shooter to play and get, but knowing gamers, we would just buy both because both shooters offer different experiences. In the meantime, Black Ops will be out this November and hoping to repeat the same success as Modern Warfare 2 had, but I doubt it.

The Boys are Back and I Can't Wait!!! Bring on Jackass 3D!

Since I watched the first two movies, the show a lot, and bought some of the DVDs, I'm pretty excited for Jackass 3D. Hopefully, a 3D movie that will be truly worth it rather than some epic action movie. There is nothing much I can say other than the boys are back and we'll see what crazy shenanigans they pull off this time.

Also, high five!!!

Music Video Roundup for 8/5/10

Looks like a lot of high profile music videos are out today as this post will be updated as the day progresses.

First up...

Janelle Monae - "Cold War" (off one of my favorite albums of the year, The ArchAndroid)

Eminem - "I Love The Way You Lie" feat. Rihanna (Chances are you heard this on the radio lately)

Kanye's return with his "Power" video and its only about two minutes long!

A Quick Music Roundup for 8/4/10

This time on the music roundup features two albums from a new artist on the rise and one that needs no introduction.

First off is Mike Posner and his debut mainstream album, 31 Minutes to Takeoff. He has made a big splash to the radio waves with "Cooler Than Me," more preferably the single mix than the normal song that is all chill. His album is not that long, but provides lots of chill vibes throughout with songs like the one above, "Please Don't Go," and more. If you're looking for an album to blast on a drive across the summer beaches, this one is worth blasting.

As the one who needs no introduction, Lady Gaga has a remix album out now and its a pretty much a collection of remixes of her famous songs. Most of them are old like the Richard Vission remix of "Just Dance," so chances are you heard them before at the clubs at one point. With the ten on the album, some are hit and miss, but there are indeed standouts out there that I enjoy. I expected it to very house-y and got exactly that since I am still in this house music phase because that seems to be the trend these days with mainstream artists going more on this direction. Since Gaga is apparently releasing any more videos off The Fame Monster and touring like crazy around the states, this is the next best thing we all can get out of her until her real second album comes out and blows everyone away. If only I could watch the Monster Ball in person out of curiosity, but that is not going to happen.

That's it for now... be prepared for a quick music video roundup post tomorrow since Kanye's "Power" video will be out as well as Enimem's new one for that one song with Rihanna I have hearing a lot on the radio waves. Hopefully Drake's "Fancy" video comes out soon too since that has been the song of my Vegas trip last weekend, which was pretty fun.